When Kingdom Goes

Act II - Chapter 4

Darkness. Stillness. His concentration was at its peak.

Come to me, Dragon.

As Zero thinks this, his words echo into the void. No response.

I know you can hear me. I simply ask that you reveal yourself to me.

His words echo in the emptiness yet again, however there is a response.

Massive dragon eyes appear before him. Although surprised and a little scared, he stands firm.

"Who are you, and what have you done to my master?" Says the pair of eyes as the sound of rushing water fills the room. The source of it was the dragon's newly formed snout. The water continued to pass over his eyes and all the way to the end of his tail, creating the rest of his body.

"I defeated your master in-"

"DON'T LIE TO ME!" The dragon roars at him, shaking the emptiness surrounding them.

"I am sorry to have angered you." Zero lets out a slight quiver.

"I, Draconis, will only submit myself to those who are strong!" He says with outstretched wings before coming face to face with Zero. "You, however, aren't even as strong as myself, let alone my master."

"A few weeks ago, your master was utterly defeated and is no longer able to fight. He lost because he wasn't strong enough. Knowing this, will you submit yourself to me?"

A surge of water envelopes Zero. The water was actually Draconis' body, as he'd just eaten him. Draconis had swallowed him before he could react.

Zero's lungs began to burn as they filled with water. His skin started to split. He felt like his eyes were about to pop.

"I will not tolerate this disrespect, especially from someone as weak as you are." Draconis says as he flies, throwing Zero around in his stomach.

His consciousness starts to fade.

"Zero!"

"Wake up!"

"You are in danger!"

He opens his eyes to find himself in his bedroom in Madu's palace, drenched in water.

"What happened to you?"

"Ah, Cem. It appears I've wet my bed."

.

.

.

After drying himself off, Zero takes a seat at his desk.

"I take it this was yet another failure?" Cem says.

"Yes, unfortunately so. However, for the first time since I obtained the ability, I was able to see and speak with the dragon. Progress, sure, but I don't feel like I should continue pursuing it."

"And why would that be?"

"Because he almost killed me. I have no idea what happens if I die in there, and I have no intention of finding out. He's probably been in a bad mood since the fall of his master, hence the silence and now, the attack."

"I agree with your decision. Power is meaningless if you die before using it. My only concern is that you're almost at capacity. How are you going to get the other three you're after?"

"I'm still figuring that out. More importantly, why are you back so soon?" Zero says.

"I gathered enough information on the girl, so I came back to report my findings."